1. For those who might not be familiar with you, would you be a dear and tell the readers a little about yourself? How did you get your start in the writing business?

(TH) Hi guys! I’m (cough) forty-eight years old. Married thirty years to the love of my life. I have three grown children, two adorable grandsons, six dogs and a cat. So we definitely have a full house! I have always loved to read and over the last few years I became Facebook friends with many authors. I began doing Beta reads and reviewing for a blog site. I had done some angsty teenage writing in high school, but never thought I could write professionally. I saw an ad for a short story contest. My husband and several “friends” had been pushing me to “write a book” So I pulled up my big girl panties and submitted my story. I didn’t win the contest, but I did get a contract. The rest as they say, is history.

2. All writers fear the dreaded “block”. Please tell us how you handle it.

(TH) I don’t think of it as “block” per say, more like “getting stuck” I’ll take a break and do some reading. Talk about it with my DH. Then just MAKE myself sit down and write.

3. Contrary to what some people envision about a romance writer’s life, it’s not all glitz and glam. Well not for the majority of us. With that bubble sadly busted, when you’re not writing, how to do you spend your time?

(TH) No, definitely not Glitz and glamour, lol. I have a day job. I’m a hairdresser, which I love. As I mentioned above I beta read for several authors, I also am now doing editing for Secret Cravings Publishing and recently started a blog with my best friend Beverly Ovalle. I love to cook, and Spend time with my grandbabies. And of course read!

4. I know many writers, such as Dirk and myself, keep their pastime/career a secret. Do those close to you know you write? If so, what are their thoughts?

(TH) Yeah, I’m all out in the open. I write under my real name. (Hey I want credit for that sh*t) My daughters take it in stride. My husband and my mom are very supportive. My son pretends he doesn’t know me (he is in college studying to become a minister) He wants to know why I can’t write “sweet romance” where the couples don’t do more than hold hands, lol. I’m not quite sure what my friends think. Most of my “real life” friends aren’t readers and haven’t even read my books.

5. Will you share with us your all time favorite authors? If you’re like me, it’s a long list so give us your top ten.

(TH) No kidding, the list is miles long! Even a top ten is tough. Lori Foster, Laura Leigh, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kerrelyn Sparks, Shelly Laurenston, Laura Kaye, Maya Banks, Catherine Mann, Larissa Ione, Carrie Ann Ryan. And I could go on and on.

6. If you could choose one book to go to the big screen, yours or otherwise, which book would you choose and whom would you love see casted in the parts?

(TH) I would love to see the Darkhunter series on the big screen. As for casting, I couldn’t say. I am woefully behind the times, I don’t even know most of the actors and actresses that were at the Adacemy Awards. I read. I don’t watch many movies or television.

7. Would you care to tell us what you’re working on now? That is if it’s not top-secret information. If so, just whisper it in my ear. I swear it’ll go no further.

(TH) I’m working on two project at the moment. A novella, tentatively titled, A Special Kind of Love. It is a project near and dear to my heart. The heroine has a son with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. My son has AS. I will categorically state, this is NOT a story about me or my son. But, helping others to understand the impact that having an autistic child has in your life is important to me and I hope I accomplish that in a Special Kind of Love. My second project is the first book in a new series. The series is The Windy City Dragons, we haven’t titled this WIP yet. It is my first attempt at paranormal romance and I am writing it with Beverly Ovalle. We are having a blast! Our hero, Dan, is a Chicago firefighter, and a dragon shifter.

8. Where can we find your stories and is there a particular reading order?

(TH) WCD is my first series (and it’s not contracted yet) so, no reading order. My books are available at all the e-book retailers, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance, etc.

9. Would you please share how your present and future fans can contact you?

10. Before we conclude this enlightening interview, do you have anything else you’d like to share? The stage is all yours.

(TH) Thank you for having me today. I love writing and reading, And I love hearing from readers. So, please let me hear from you. I’d love to know what you think of my work or hear your recommendations for new authors. My life has changed so much in the past two years. It is never too late to follow your dreams and you never know what tomorrow will bring, so seize today!

Wrap-up

There you have it, ladies and gents. I want to again thank Tamara Hoffa for stopping by and I look forward to your next visit – This Friday! . *smiles*